Wake Forest University
North Carolina
Wake Forest Remains Home For Final Regular-Season Showings
4/14/2022 1:58:00 PM | Men's Tennis
A pair of ‘Big Four’ opponents make up part of the Deacs’ weekend.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – No. 8 Wake Forest men's tennis hosts its last two doubleheaders of the 2022 spring regular season this weekend, bringing in No. 18 North Carolina and Pfeiffer University on Friday (April 15) before facing No. 19 Duke and North Carolina Wesleyan during Sunday afternoon (April 17).
'Senior Day' for the Demon Deacons headlines the Duke match on Sunday, as six team members will be honored prior to first serve.
Wake Forest is currently on a roll, having won five consecutive matches and standing at a 9-1 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play.
MATCH SCHEDULE
Friday, April 15
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3 p.m. – vs. No. 18 North Carolina
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6 p.m. – vs. Pfeiffer
Sunday, April 17
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2 p.m. – vs. No. 19 Duke
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5 p.m. – vs. North Carolina Wesleyan
HOW TO FOLLOW
The live stream for both matches will be provided via PlaySight, while live stats can be found here.
SENIOR DAY
The program will take time to honor the following members before the first match of Sunday (April 17):
Tayte Dupree | Senior | Washington, D.C. | The Potomac School
Four-year letterwinner … tallied three doubles wins as a freshman.
Ben Draper | Graduate Student | Ashtead, England | Reed's School / California
Has appeared in 21 matches with 12 doubles wins and two singles victories … currently undefeated in the team's No. 1 doubles spot with a 4-0 record … won singles matchups against North Carolina Central (6-0, 6-1) and Bluefield State (6-0, 6-1) this year.
Jakob Schnaitter | Graduate Student | Wasserburg am Inn, Germany | Luitpold-Gymnasium Wasserburg / Azusa Pacific University
A standout newcomer in singles this spring, racking up 18 wins in 23 appearances - a mark that ties for best on the roster … has won 13 straight singles matches … ranked No. 85 in the ITA singles during a stretch from January to February … paired up with Siddhant Banthia in doubles to rank No. 29 in the ITA … 2021 All-American in singles and doubles.
Robert Maciag | Redshirt Junior | Sterling, Va. | Dominion High School / Duke
Has been with the Demon Deacons since 2019 … has posted a 20-3 career record in singles, while also winning 20 doubles matches … is 9-0 in solo play this spring, competing in various spots within the team's lineup … also holds a doubles record of 11-6 in 2022, mainly partnering with Ben Draper … has won at least 11 or more individual matches in each of his three seasons.
Eduardo Nava | Fifth-Year | Northridge, Calif. | California IQ Academy / TCU
2021 Second Team All-ACC Singles … 2021 All-ACC Academic Team … has contributed to Wake Forest's 136 wins over the past five seasons while winning a total of 100 combined matches … career-high ITA ranking of No. 31 … leads the Deacs this spring with 32 combined victories … reached the Round of 32 at the 2021 NCAA Singles Championships … qualified for the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championships … ACC Singles Player of the Week (April 6, 2021) … two-time ACC Doubles Player of the Week.
Rrezart Cungu | Fifth-Year | Ulcinj, Montenegro | Bratstvo-Jedinstvo
2021 Third Team All-ACC Singles … up to 98 combined wins throughout his Deacon career … picked up a ranked win over No. 120 Edu Guell of Duke in the 2021 ACC Quarterfinal round … led the team in solo wins as a senior (21) … helped the Deacs claim the 2018 ACC Championship with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over North Carolina's Mac Kiger.
Yuval Solomon, a Student Assistant Coach for the Deacs, will also be honored during the festivities. The former Deac competed for the program from 2017-21, winning 35 singles matches and 10 doubles matches.
FRIDAY THEME
Tomorrow's (April 15) match day will feature 'Members Night,' as all members of the Wake Forest Tennis Center are invited to come enjoy the action and partake in a raffle of a Wake Forest men's tennis gear pack.
LAST TIME OUT
Wake Forest went 3-0 last weekend during two days of competition, stretching its home record to a remarkable 20-0 clip.
Matched up against No. 67 Clemson in a Friday test (April 8), Robert Maciag sealed the deal for the Deacs by clinching the fourth point. Wake Forest also rolled to three singles wins over the Tigers, with each victory happening in straight sets.
On Sunday (April 10), the Deacons had a perfect day – picking up a 6-1 win over No. 56 Georgia Tech before routing Campbell, 7-0. The two wins gave Wake Forest 12 triumphs over ranked opponents this season. Additionally, the Deacs won the doubles point for the 23rd time this season and improved to 22-1 when taking a 1-0 advantage with a doubles victory.
(STILL) PERFECT AT HOME
Wake Forest's 20 wins on its home court are tied with the 2018-19 season for the most in program history. Additionally, the Deacs have stayed undefeated at home through ten or more contests in three total seasons.
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2021-22 season: 20-0
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2018-19 season: 20-0
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2016-17 season: 13-0
Wake Forest is 99-4 at home since 2016.
RANKED DEACS
The Demon Deacons have remained in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) top-ten team standings for the spring season's entirety. In addition, Wake Forest is one of seven institutions scattered among the 75-member list with 20 wins or more. Several Deacs continue to hold rankings in both singles and doubles:
Singles:
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No. 54 - Eduardo Nava
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No. 72 - Filippo Moroni
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No. 115 - Jurabek Karimov
Doubles:
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No. 29 - Siddhant Banthia/Jakob Schnaitter
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No. 69 - Filippo Moroni/Eduardo Nava
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No. 74 - Siddhant Banthia/Juan Lopez de Azcona
SCOUTING NO. 18 NORTH CAROLINA
While the Tar Heels lead the all-time series, 37-24, Wake Forest has won nine of the last eleven meetings, dating back to 2015. Yesterday (April 13), North Carolina was ranked No. 18 in the latest ITA standings.
Singles Rankings:
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No. 33 - Brian Cernoch (18-8)
Doubles Rankings:
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No. 8 - Brian Cernoch/Mac Kiger (17-6)
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No. 89 - Casey Kania/Logan Zapp (19-8)
SCOUTING PFEIFFER
The Deacs and Falcons have only met one time, back in 2016 when Wake Forest won at home in a 7-0 sweep. Alec Taylor and Andres Valdez-Arza lead Pfeiffer with ten wins apiece in singles A pairing of Dylan Masters/Benedikt Pfeiffer has gone 8-7 in doubles matches.
SCOUTING NO. 19 DUKE
Wake Forest is on a seven-match win streak versus the Blue Devils, including two 4-0 sweeps that occurred last season. Likewise to the Deacs and North Carolina, Duke also stands as a top-20 team in the ITA, currently ranked No. 19.
Singles Rankings:
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No. 43 - Garrett Johns
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN
The Battling Bishops have enjoyed a successful spring, sitting at 21-3 overall and undefeated in the USA South Athletic Conference (6-0). Seven players have picked up ten or more solo victories. In doubles, the duo of Johnny Acosta and Juan Vallejo is one to keep an eye on (14-4).
UP NEXT
The 2022 ACC Tennis Championships begin next week, lasting April 20-24.
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Players Mentioned
